The dorsal surface of SCP-6013. Hover to enlarge.
Name: SCP-6013
Object Class: Safe Keter
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-6013 is to be surrounded at all times by a detachment of Foundation vessels in a 5-kilometer radius around its position. A mobile aquatic survey platform, hereafter referred to as Provisional Site-82, under the jurisdiction of NTF Tau-41 (“Hearts Alive”) is to be stationed directly above its position at 80.512735°N, 71.000751°E. In accordance with Incident 201 cleanup procedures, all civilian naval traffic is to be redirected under the pretense of a chemical spill.
Any personnel entering or leaving SCP-6013 must use Type B or higher environmental protections and receive daily physical and psychological assessments. All personnel working within the anomaly must complete repeated inspections as necessary to ensure the integrity of their suit PPE, air filtration units and closed oxygen supplies. The protective insulations of all Foundation assets within SCP-6013 must be similarly assessed and replaced as required. Consuming food or water within SCP-6013 is strictly prohibited.
Regular seafloor surveys are to be conducted hourly to monitor any changes in water temperature, oxygen content, infrasound emissions or seismic activity. Submersibles, ships and divers are not permitted to make contact with flora and fauna surrounding SCP-6013 without approval from site command or unless acting in self-defense. Constant communication is to be maintained with RTF Omicron-14 (“Brides of Ishtar”) while they are working within the anomaly. SCP-6013’s interior and RTF Omicron-14 (“Brides of Ishtar”) agent Hannah Langford, hereafter referred to as SCP-6013-A.
In its current state, SCP-6013 is inert and self-contained. It is incapable of doing direct harm to its surroundings or Foundation staff.
Addendum (Effective 6013.RP.7-07): Foundation personnel are permitted to spend a total of 168 120 96 72 54 hours in direct contact with SCP-6013 or SCP-6013-A; at the end of this period, they are to be barred from contact without exception and reassigned. Any attempt to exceed this limit, made consciously or otherwise, is grounds for immediate termination.
All equipment, vessels, personnel and other physical assets present at Site-82 must undergo daily sanitation in order to prevent the transfer of biomass from the interior of SCP-6013 to the water’s surface. All surveys of SCP-6013, both remote and in-person, must also measure the Akiva radiation.A type of non-electromagnetic radiation. Objects with religious conviction, intense faith or thaumatological power produce Akiva radiation in proportion to the strength of these properties. Usually measured in centiakiva on the Brandon-Spencer Piety Scale. of the anomaly and the surrounding water. Any Foundation asset whose ambient Akiva radiation exceeds pre-exposure ranges is to be quarantined immediately; any asset whose ranges remain elevated for 24 hours or more is to be disassembled, neutralized (if applicable), incinerated and its remains stored offsite. For further inquiries about asset excommunication procedure, consult official Anathema Contingency guidelines or contact Site Director Isaiah Kamski.
A network of C-7 high-yield demolition charges has been distributed throughout the interior and perimeter of SCP-6013. In the event that SCP-6013 attempts to move from its current position or contact is lost with SCP-6013-A, all onsite vessels are to move offsite and initiate Protocol Pitiless Descent.
Anathema Contingency Personal Guidelines
This is your Site Director speaking. Your time at Site-82 is of great importance to us, as is your safety, security and current biological configuration. In order to help you stay safe, secure and unaltered, we use a strict set of criteria to assess the risks faced by site personnel. These criteria and their preventative measures form
The Anathema Contingency.
As you have been made aware, SCP-6013 is a conscious Sarkic macroorganism. Your safety as a human or human-adjacent presence at Site-82 will depend heavily on your ability to thrive in this environment. If you recently experienced or are experiencing any of the following high-risk states of being, please notify myself or your team supervisor before you complete initial contact procedures and you will be compensated appropriately:
- You have cancer, either benign, malignant or in remission,
- You have contracted any bacterial, viral, parasitic or fungal disease communicable to humans, animals, or their onsite equivalents,
- You are pregnant, suspect you may be pregnant or have the ability to become pregnant,
- Your body contains metallic plates, stints, catheters, fillings, root canals, pacemakers or any other artificial materials that indicate medical intervention upon your person, or
- You have been the recipient of a blood transfusion, organ transplant, bone marrow transplant or other exchange of organic matter not genetically identical to your own within the past twelve months.
At this time it is unclear whether medical interventions such as hormone replacement, constructive surgeries and/or the use of disability aids increase personal existential risk. For the safety of yourself and your colleagues, the Foundation encourages all participants with such interventions to make them known to their supervisors prior to initial contact.
After some time onboard SCP-6013, you may begin to notice changes to your cognition, moral convictions and/or biological integrity. If you do, there is no need to panic; this is completely normal, and a sign that you are ready to move on from SCP-6013. Please submit yourself for immediate assessment if you experience any of the following:
- Hearing or seeing things that other people do not see or hear,
- Presence of N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in the blood,
- Altered states of consciousness or perception,
- Believing that memories or experiences in your mind are not your own,
- Difficulty recalling recent events, past life experiences or details such as security clearances, work schedules or personal information,
- Introjective behaviors,.Introjection is a process by which a person incorporates the thoughts, behaviors or traits of someone they observe into their own psyche. With SCP-6013, common introjective behaviors may include an affinity for the ocean, sudden changes in religious beliefs or the adoption of new beliefs, a taste for vegetables or raw meat, or an irrepressible urge to harm yourself or others.
- A sudden, uncharacteristic interest in the ocean, swimming, free diving or violent acts of self-harm, or
- Empathy for SCP-6013-A
Working at Site-82 carries the inherent risk of thaumatological contamination. Remember to triple-check your personal protective equipment (PPE), air supply and environmental suit whenever you enter or leave SCP-6013. Common signs of early contamination include impairment of fine motor skills, sudden weight gain, seeing green light in your peripheral vision and auditory hallucinations of whale songs, heartbeats or both. If you suspect that you are critically contaminated or that you are at risk of undergoing a faith cascade, report to the nearest quarantine chamber immediately and notify a cleanup crew.
—Doctor Isaiah Kamski, Site Director
Description (Amended Effective 6013.RP.7-07): SCP-6013 is an intelligent Sarkic war leviathan resting at the bottom of the Kara Sea northeast of Arkhangelsk, Russia. SCP-6013 is surrounded on all sides by complex formations of coral and flesh that obscure it from view. The ship, its surrounding macrocyst,.An epithelial barrier that covers SCP-6013’s exterior surface.
—Joanne root structure and resident fauna (collectively SCP-6013-B) cover an area of approximately nine square kilometers and weigh in excess of 138 million metric tons. SCP-6013’s “normal” body shape is intact except for a large breach in its dorsal surface..This breach is the point through which Foundation teams enter or exit SCP-6013. Only a small portion of the anomaly is exposed to the ocean, as most of its form is embedded in the Earth’s crust. Radiometric dating suggests that SCP-6013 is approximately three thousand years old.
SCP-6013 is bilaterally symmetrical, with a body shape similar to a cetacean or pinniped. Its exterior is covered in ossified plates that make it resistant to most forms of penetrative imaging technology, including sonar, X-rays, gamma radiation, positron bombardment and thermal imaging. LIDAR scans performed from inside SCP-6013 show that its interior is made up of multiple chambers of varying size and shape, separated from each other by tissue supports rich in metals and resident flora. The largest of these chambers is a ring-shaped corridor running the entire length of the body which connects to a circular space at the body’s center. SCP-6013-A has contained itself within this space, which it believes to be the “bridge” of SCP-6013..Site-82 field guides and security detail will refer to this chamber as the "pericardium."
—Joanne
The interior of SCP-6013 stays at a constant 41 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 100 percent. Plastics and metals decay rapidly within SCP-6013’s atmosphere, even if they are covered by laminates, redundant insulation and other protections. Class B environmental suits have an operational lifespan of approximately 480 240 120 75 35 hours under these conditions. Microplastics and fat-soluble metals in the tissues of living organisms also decay in this manner if a subject is exposed. Prolonged exposure (120 seconds or greater) dramatically increases a subject’s chances of spontaneous genomic restructuring, thaumatological contamination and introjective cognition. Any personnel exposed to SCP-6013’s atmosphere must be quarantined and assessed for excommunication as per Anathema Contingency guidelines.
A biolith fragment recovered during Rosetta Protocol Cycle 3-18.
There are many complex organic structures scattered throughout SCP-6013 that have atrophied or become inoperable by other means. Most are composed of an organic metamaterial with a color and consistency similar to volcanic glass. Spectrometric analysis suggests that this material (referred to as "biolith") is composed primarily of calcium carbonate, keratin and internal lattices of epithelial tissue. It is unclear what function these structures may have once served, or if they can be made to operate again. A small cluster of bioliths surrounding the pericardium appears to be the only part of SCP-6013 with functional components of this type.
Various parts of SCP-6013's body resemble the quarters of a warship of its time period, albeit constructed on a much larger scale. There are also various structures that resemble warships built centuries or even millennia later. An array of airflows and metallic deposits, now fully ossified, are thought to be the remnants of an organic turbine or engine assembly. Most of the smaller chambers of SCP-6013 have flooded or become otherwise inaccessible. SCP-6013-A claims that the interior of SCP-6013 is “locked” in its current configuration, but believes that its body is capable of radical restructuring under ideal conditions.
A formation of large organs beneath the pericardium (called the Valkkeukot, or “Shining Lungs”) contains a highly concentrated organic compound rich with bacterial, viral and parasitic infectious agents..The total volume of these organs is referred to hereafter as SCP-6013’s “pathogenic load.”
—Joanne This compound is routinely sampled, extracted and incinerated in accordance with Anathema Contingency asset excommunication procedure. Attempts to decontaminate this compound automatically using the filtration systems of SCP-6013 have met with limited success. Assuming that extraction efforts remain entirely manual, SCP-6013’s pathogenic load will be fully neutralized in 11 years, 3 months and 25 days.
SCP-6013 has projected a sprawling network of visceral tube structures into the seafloor and the water surrounding it, using them to collect minerals, nutrients and oxygen with which it sustains itself. This network has grown far enough into the Earth’s crust to reach the Russian coastline and penetrate into the water tables of West Siberia and the Ob river basin, through which it is able to access the inland aquifers of most of continental Europe. These tubes are one half of SCP-6013’s primary weapon systems: they connect directly to the Shining Lungs, which, if commanded to fire, could distribute Sarkic biomass and pathogens across a wide area with significant speed. This eversive.Eversion is a process by which something turns inside out or forcefully ejects something from the inside of its body to the outside of its body. mechanism is believed to be SCP-6013's primary terraforming strategy.
SCP-6013 displays intelligence comparable to that of a human being. It has the capacity to lie, use figurative language and engage in discussions about ethics, morality and philosophy. SCP-6013 communicates using a variety of methods, including speech, gestures, pheromones, infrasound and a bioluminescent effect believed to be a form of telepathy, pictography or hypnotic suggestion. SCP-6013 has called itself by a variety of names: “Gräpaf Trypori7" (Harmony of Burrows), “Valkwarat” (Shining Sculptor) and, as of its bond with SCP-6013-A, “Batrav Nutäm” (believed to mean Pilot’s Hand). If prompted, SCP-6013 will refer to itself, SCP-6013-A and SCP-6013-B as "Raya," an honorific that describes all of the anomaly's collective biomass. Joining this mass is apparently an act of great religious significance to SCP-6013, and it has invited Foundation personnel to "converge" with it on multiple occasions.
For further details about SCP-6013’s communication methods, please reference the official Rosetta Protocol translation guidelines provided below.
Soonsaran: SCP-6013 speaks in a pidgin language called Soonsaran (believed to mean "vein words" or "gut words"). Some of its vocabulary is taken directly from Old Adytite, but many words are borrowed from English, Hittite, Greek, Russian, Tundra Nenets and Finnish, as well as new words constructed from components of these languages. Each word in Soonsaran corresponds to multiple possible definitions based on context, its position relative to other words and the structure of the sentence in which a given word appears. According to the Foundation's current models, one word in Soonsaran may correspond to anywhere between two and seven equivalent words in English.
Soonsaran's grammar is very simple: there are no articles, adverbs or pronouns, verbs have no tenses, and conjunctions and prepositions are implied with hyphens between words or glottal stops (written using the number 7), respectively. Nouns are pluralized in four ways (both, some, many or all) using a set of suffixes (ti, til, täo, tiäm). Some nouns are implied to have a plural form without any suffix (e.g. describing a group of people as “subject,” implying “subjects”)..During your translation work, pluralizations like these will be performed automatically, as will the conjugations of proper nouns and plural suffixes.
—Doctor Isaiah Kamski, Site Director Certain phrases are expressed by joining multiple words in succession using apostrophes; for example, Soonsaran uses the phrase “see penetrate” (litca'siola) in place of “see through.” These serial phrases describe objects or concepts outside the scope of SCP-6013’s vocabulary. Sentences in Soonsaran retain the subject-object-verb syntax typical to Old Adytite. Sentences spoken in the language are transcribed phonetically because it has no known writing system.
Soonsaran forms only a fraction of SCP-6013's communicative capacity. Its pheremones, bioluminescence, gestures and other behaviors are still poorly understood. The "missing" components of Soonsaran speech (adverbs, articles, pronouns, tone, etc.) may be relayed using these methods; therefore, any transcript of words alone is inherently incomplete. For further details about SCP-6013's nonverbal modes of communication, refer to the Site-82 Biosemiotics Division Cipher Catalog.
Attached is a copy of Soonsaran and You: An Introduction to the Rosetta Protocol >>
SCP-6013-A:
Agent Hannah Langford on assignment in England during Operation Hammer of Cybele, 2018.
ADDENDUM 6013.RP: SCP-6013-A is an intelligent entity currently controlling the body of deceased Foundation research agent Hannah Langford. It can dramatically alter its physical anatomy in order to construct organs, repair inuries, evert bones and muscle into prehensile appendages and integrate itself with Sarkic machinery. It has not altered the appearance of its face or body beyond fulfilling these functions. SCP-6013-A has limited control over the internal structures of SCP-6013 and has consciously acted “through” SCP-6013 multiple times. SCP-6013-A is permitted to use these abilities in compliance with asset excommunication procedure as outlined in the Anathema Contingency.
SCP-6013-A is almost always lucid and does not appear to eat, drink or sleep. However, it has been known to become catatonic or otherwise unresponsive for hours at a time, during which SCP-6013 speaks in a pitch and cadence nearly identical to that of agent Langford’s. This catatonia frequently reverts if SCP-6013-A is called to attention. These cognitive shifts can be initiated voluntarily (by SCP-6013-A) or involuntarily (by SCP-6013). As long as SCP-6013-A remains capable of communication, such changes do not constitute “loss of contact” as defined in Protocol Pitiless Descent.
SCP-6013-A claims to possess a comprehensive knowledge of agent Langford’s thoughts, feelings and memories, including her personality and relationships with her former colleagues and family. SCP-6013-A continues to wear all of the clothing, jewelry and other items present on agent Langford’s person at the time of her death. It also displays the former dog tags of Site-82 head researcher Joanne Greer, which it stole from her during Incident 201, prominently around its neck. SCP-6013-A is known to experience frequent changes in affect and body language, mimicking agent Langford's nervous tics and emotional states such as sadness, aggression and fear with great accuracy. It claims to hold Site Director Isaiah Kamski in particular contempt.
Personal Addendum 6013.A.7790
I thought that I had made myself clear in my previous revisions, but for the stubborn or ignorant among you, I will say it one final time.
SCP-6013-A has repeatedly claimed that it is Hannah Langford. These claims are false. Disregard any communications made by SCP-6013-A that attempt to elicit sympathy or aid. If SCP-6013-A suggests that it is feeling pain, sadness, hatred, anger or any other emotional state, know that these statements are also false.
My decision as Site Director is final. SCP-6013-A is just as much a piece of Foundation property as the leviathan it occupies.
Hannah Langford is dead. I will accept no further inquiries into this matter.
—Doctor Isaiah Kamski, Site Director
An image from the descent voyage of Rosetta Protocol Cycle 4-100. SCP-6013's vascular structures are fully extended and luminescent.
SCP-6013-B: SCP-6013-B is a Sarkic microclimate that exists on the seabed surrounding SCP-6013. It is a diverse, active biotopography populated by plants and animals native to both the Arctic Circle and the Mediterranean Sea. Each organism has a heavily modified genome and set of functional mutations that allow it to better survive in the Kara Sea. SCP-6013-B has its own climate, food chains and evolutionary pressures, and the great diversity of specimens has made proper cataloging difficult. At present, SCP-6013-B instances seem unwilling or unable to leave the reef surrounding SCP-6013. Because of this, most of Site-82's anomalous flora and fauna are self-containing and require minimal attention.
The SCP-6013-B biosphere exhibits salinity, oxygen content, pH ranges and microbial concentrations that are lethal to all non-extremophile forms of aquatic life. The water surrounding SCP-6013-B retains an average temperature of 37 degrees Celsius and is rich in amino acids, electrolytes and organic compounds typically produced in the metabolic and excretory processes of animals, such as urea, ammonia, lactic acid and other such waste products. Craft operating in these conditions must be redundantly insulated to slow the corrosive effects of continuous exposure. Relative density and water pressure contain these compounds below a depth of 513 meters, clearly delineating the point at which the Kara Sea ends and SCP-6013-B begins..Site-82 department procedures may variously refer to this delineation as the "Volatile Operational Depth," "Point of Contact" or "Suzuhara-Messener Boundary."
—Joanne
Instances of SCP-6013-B have extraordinarily high rates of bacterial and parasitic infection, but very few of the detrimental health effects that would be expected for such conditions. Individual instances often make dramatic transitions between body shapes, diets, reproductive behaviors and other such qualities throughout their lives. Lifespans also vary greatly; SCP-6013-B1 and B2, for example, are estimated to be nearly a thousand years old, while other specimens have lifespans ranging from months to hours. Dead or dying 6013-B instances are often immediately consumed or reincorporated into the surrounding reef structure; any attempts to study one in isolation must therefore make use of still-living samples.
SCP-6013-B1 and B2.SCP-6013-A’s journal calls them “Kala” and “Ioro,” respectively.
Physeter macrocephalus
A pair of Atlantic sperm whales, one male and one female. Both are covered in vascular tissue structures that draw oxygen from the water. The mouths of both specimens have been covered with a thin, weblike film, and chitinous plating has grown over their heads and fins.
Neither specimen has been observed surfacing for air. Each movement performed by one specimen is mirrored by the other. Both specimens swim in a tightly coordinated circuit around the perimeter of SCP-6013, possibly to deter other sea life. Specimens do not acknowledge Foundation vessels unless provoked.
SCP-6013-B3
Various
A variety of animals known to parasitize whales, primarily copepods, barnacles and sea lice.
Specimens contain DNA of both humans and loggerhead turtles. Much larger than normal size. Limbs and organs will regrow into new specimens if separated from the body.
SCP-6013-B4
Various, primarily Corallium rubrum
Numerous coral species native to the Mediterranean sea.
Polyps secrete a thick, fibrous mucus when agitated. Larger colonies are opportunistic carnivores and use this secretion to ensnare passing fish.
SCP-6013-B5
Dasyatis pastinaca
Common stingray, a species native to the Mediterranean Sea.
Human face.
SCP-6013-B6+
Various
Numerous plants and animals native to both the Mediterranean and Kara Sea.
Biodiversity estimated in excess of five hundred species. Cataloging efforts are ongoing.
SCP-6013-B0
Classification pending.SCP-6013-A calls the specimen Valkluli, Soonsaran for “Shining Breath.”
A microbial organism native to the interior of SCP-6013. Also found in SCP-6013-A’s soft tissues and all SCP-6013-B instances. Separate SCP classification pending approval.
Bioluminescent. Metabolizes carbon dioxide, metals and plastics into oxygen, nitrogen, amino acids and trace amounts of Akiva radiation. Adjusts its genome and surface proteins to match the biochemistry of its host, thereby preventing an immunological reaction. Can be reliably removed from air or water with class B or higher filtration.
ADDENDUM 6013.201: SCP-6013-B0 is capable of producing Akiva radiation through an anomalous metabolic process. The amount of radiation produced correlates positively with the concentration, color and luminosity of 6013-B0 instances within the affected object. All materials containing 6013-B0, either living or dead, will retain this radiation until all 6013-B0 biomass present in the material is removed..Though the human immune system cannot remove SCP-6013-B0 from the body, trace amounts can filter out over time as long as the affected subject does not exceed their pre-exposure piety threshold by 180 centiakiva or more.
—Doctor Isaiah Kamski, Site Director Values range from trace amounts in the surrounding seabed to 3 Akiva near the center of SCP-6013. During Incident 201, levels throughout the anomaly and surrounding water briefly peaked at 29 Akiva.
SCP-6013 Research Logs
Retroactive Classification of SCP-6013-A rescinded in accordance with Personal Preference Mandate 6013.3505.HL.
From the Desk of Roy Beaumont
MD, LMHC
11/01/19
Patient: RTF Omicron-14 (“Brides of Ishtar”) Agent 4
Name: Hannah Abigail Langford (formerly █████ █████████)
Age: 31
Height/Weight: 1.83m, 100 kg (6’0”, 221 lbs)
Prescriptions: IM estradiol valerate, 20mg/month; oral progesterone, 200mg/day
Physician’s notes: Patient’s health is consistent with previous assessments. Blood work shows low E2 and progesterone levels. Renew prescriptions and re-administer hormone replacement as soon as is practical.
Foreword: RTF Omicron-14 (“Brides of Ishtar”) are en route to SCP-6013 in a Foundation submersible. Agent Roy Beaumont is monitoring the descent from aboard the research ship SCPF Sulemani, while agents Hannah Langford and Ezra Hadina proceed to the seafloor under the command of team leader Joanne Greer.
<Begin Log>
Greer: Alright sweethearts, eyes up.
Langford: [Fatigued] Five more minutes.
[Greer looks across the submersible to Langford. She is reclining in her seat.]
Greer: Goddammit, ankle-biter.
Beaumont: [Over comms] The descent’s only ten minutes. I don’t even know how you fall asleep that fast.
Greer: It’s some kind of talent, apparently. [to Langford] Seems like the only thing you take seriously is pissing me off.
Beaumont: [Over comms] Hey, hey, relax a little. She’s jonesin’, remember.
Langford: [Fatigued] I hate all of you.
[Langford stretches and sits up.]
Greer: Hadina, please tell me you’re at least on top of things.
Hadina: Yes, ma’am. All equipment accounted for. Once Langford’s got her weapon cleaned we’re golden.
Langford: Are we even weapons free?
Beaumont: [Over comms] Nope, and let’s pray it stays that way. Fingers crossed that this’ll be a nice, peaceful walk through a plague-ridden corpse.
Greer: I’m not confident. This thing’s no Gyaros. Command says there’s something big down there, and I doubt it wants to make friends.
Langford: I dunno, I’ve got some pretty weird friends. We could get along.
[Greer sighs.]
Hadina: Even so, commander, I must admit I’m excited. I don't think anyone's ever seen a Sarkic dreadnought before.
Greer and Langford: [In unison] Leviathan, actually.
[The submersible slows and starts to ascend. Greer stands and motions for Hadina and Langford to depart.]
Greer: Well, you’re about to. Sulemani, we’re set to board.
[The team climbs ashore from the submersible. A grotto has formed in the body of SCP-6013, allowing the team to surface inside of it. Langford begins cleaning her rifle while Greer sets up a base of operations. Hadina, meanwhile, is shining their flashlight around the chamber.]
Hadina: [Whispering] Incredible …
Greer: Not here to sightsee, remember.
Langford: What’s wrong with appreciating an old relic? Figured you’d be more open to that sort of thing.
Greer: This is no relic. For all we know, it could still be operational.
Langford: [Smug] Aww, you scared?
Greer: Annoyed. Disappointed, mostly.
Hadina: I'm astonished, commander. I didn't think a dreadnought could survive for this long. It's in impeccable condition.
Langford: You know where “dreadnought” comes from, right, Hadina? It’s two words: “dread not.” “Fear nothing.”
[Langford pauses.]
Langford: Also, it's a leviathan, not a dreadnought.
Greer: [Deadpan] How insightful.
Beaumont: [Over comms] Greer, I think you could afford to loosen up a little.
Greer: [Immediately] I will not “loosen up,” Beaumont, and I’d thank you to keep those comments to yourself.
Langford: You now how ladies get, Roy. There’s no accounting for hormones.
Greer: [Aggressive] At least I never had to inject mine.
Langford: [Aggressive] Maybe if you did you wouldn’t have such a pissy attitude.
[Hadina moves towards a tunnel in the back of the grotto, shining their flashlight inside. The passage is unlit, unlike the landing site, which has halogen lights scattered about.]
Hadina: Aren’t we on a time limit?
Greer: Anomalous findings or oxygen at 60%, whichever comes first. Then we regroup topside.
[Langford finishes cleaning her rifle and slings it over her shoulder.]
Langford: Well let’s get snooping, then. Roy, if I die, tell command that Greer did it.
Greer: I just might.
[The team groups up and heads into the passage.]
<End Log>
<Begin Log>
Langford: … I just think keeping it in a box is a bit inhumane.
Greer: I don’t think it has the faculties to care.
Beaumont: [Over comms] Yeah it definitely doesn’t care.
Langford: Doesn’t make it okay. You know caged bears just walk in circles if you let them out in the wild, right? It’s torture. Who are you to lock it up?
Greer: I’m sorry, who do you think we work for?
Langford: A buncha killjoys, that’s who. Just cuz you get off on turning wonders of nature into data entry doesn’t mean I have to. Come on, Greer. I figured you’d have more empathy for dumb, ugly monsters.
[Beaumont chuckles to himself.]
Greer: I’ll have you all court-martialed, I swear to—
[A deep hum fills the interior of SCP-6013. Greer signals “weapons free” and the team snaps to attention.]
Hadina: Signal at ten hertz and holding steady. I don’t have a clear source.
Langford: [Aggressive] Pretty sure it’s coming from the fucking walls, Hadina.
Greer: [Shouting] Langford, cut the bullshit!
[SCP-6013 speaks at 35 hertz.]
SCP-6013: Ia, epurvett.
Greer: Sulemani, are you hearing this?
Beaumont: [Over comms] We’re reading.
[The chamber fills with a green light. SCP-6013’s interior pulses rhythmically and sharp black stones rise from the floor, surrounding the team.]
Langford: Fuck me …
SCP-6013: Ith nolaa. Tryponikos giuir, Raya7. Ohrt nutäm, yool nutäm. Nutäm wiita, antush?
Hadina: Signal above us, 35 hertz, stretching from here to base camp. It’s a strong one, too.
[Greer points a flashlight along the ceiling. A grid of fibrous tissue beats in time with SCP-6013’s words.]
SCP-6013: Juiet? Ia?
Greer: [Whispering] Oh, Christ.
[Langford activates her secondary audio recorder. Greer and Hadina do the same. Langford slowly reaches to her side and produces a notebook from her satchel bag.]
Langford: [Whispering] Greer, I think it’s talking.
Greer: [Whispering, aggressive] Shut the fuck up.
[The circle of stones pulls in tighter. Langford, Greer and Hadina back up towards each other.]
SCP-6013: Ith litca. Heta. Furoo.
[Langford begins to write the sounds phonetically.]
Langford: [To SCP-6013] Hello?
[Greer turns to Langford, mouth agape. Langford replies with a dismissive gesture.]
Langford: [Enunciating] I am human. [Gesturing to Greer and Hadina] Human.
[Langford repeats herself, patting her chest for emphasis.]
SCP-6013: Antush-ertir’ohrt. Oktoi. Harran oktoi.
[A stone spike erupts from the floor, piercing Langford’s suit and pushing her to the ground. More stones bend and contort around her.]
Hadina: [Distressed] Sulemani, Langford’s suit is breached! Advise!
SCP-6013: Mekht antush. Yool antush.
Langford: [Shouting] Human? I, uh, God, fuck, goddammit—
[The room glows red.]
Langford: [Shouting in Adytite] Nälkä! Mi nälkä tacam!.A phrase in Adytite. Literally “I give/trade hunger.”
[The room fades back to green and the stones recede into the floor. Langford rights herself. There is a long pause before SCP-6013 speaks again.]
SCP-6013: Xerxen’noron. Nutäm wiita. Ryratal.
Hadina: [Distressed] Sulemani, we have a possible contamination. Are we approved to return topside?
Beaumont: [Over comms] Standard quarantine procedure, we’ll meet on deck. Jesus, Langford, are you hurt?
Langford: [Distressed] Only my pride. I, I, uh, God …
[Langford pats herself down. Her breathing is shallow and erratic.]
Greer: Whoa, easy, easy.
[Greer kneels next to Langford. She breathes slow and deep, and Langford's breathing gradually adjusts.]
Greer: You good to walk?
[Langford nods shakily.]
Greer: Alright, then get up. If you died on my watch I wouldn’t let you live it down.
[Greer hoists Langford under one arm.]
Langford: [Distressed] I’m … fine, I said. It's fine. We’re leaving, right? Come on! It smells in here.
[The team retreats from the chamber, following their guide line.]
SCP-6013: Ith litca. Nutäm wiita, ia?
Greer: Yeah, fuck you too.
<End Log>
From the Desk of Roy Beaumont
MD, LMHC
13/01/19
Patient: RTF Omicron-14 (“Brides of Ishtar”) Agent 4
Name: Hannah Abigail Langford (formerly █████ █████████)
Age: 31
Height/Weight: 1.83m, 100 kg (6’0”, 222 lbs)
Prescriptions: IM estradiol valerate, 20mg/month; oral progesterone, 200mg/day
Physician’s notes: No physical injuries observed. No sign of immunological reaction. Patient’s biometrics all within acceptable ranges. Patient is lucid and in good spirits; aside from acute stress, no reason to suspect psychological harm. Recommend cautionary quarantine and bedrest until approved to work by site command.
Interviewer: Agent Roy Beaumont
Interviewee: Lyudmila Vlasova
Foreword: The following is an interview of a Nenets native conducted by agent Roy Beaumont. The interviewee operates a fishery along the shoreline near Severodvinsk. Though both parties are fluent in Tundra Nenets, the interview was conducted in Russian at the interviewee’s request. She also asked to remain anonymous.
<Begin Log>
Beaumont: Morning, ma’am.
[Beaumont turns on the concealed camera in his breast pocket. The woman in front of him looks up dispassionately, seeming not to notice. She is cutting a fish on a table.]
Beaumont: I’m glad you were willing to speak with us. We won’t be recording anything but your spoken words.
Woman: I should hope so.
Beaumont: If I may ask, why did you choose Russian instead of—
Woman: [Immediately] You may not. Hold your tongue.
Beaumont: I apologize. I didn’t mean any offense.
Woman: Nor did the Czars. Don’t try my patience, stuffed-shirt. I’m twice as old as you and half as dense.
[There is a long silence. Beaumont straightens his field notes.]
Beaumont: Do you know why we’re here, ma’am?
Woman: I know you aren’t who you claim. You stink of ink and old coffee, like those Division suits from before Yeltsin.
Beaumont: I see. Are you familiar with something called Nälkä?
Woman: [Aggressive, enunciating] I know Nälkä..Literally “hunger,” “lust” or “power.” Among Sarkic adherents, Nälkä is the preferred name for their religion. I’m sure that’s what you mean.
Beaumont: [Adjusting his pronunciation] Yes, Nälkä. We’re here to investigate a Nälkän phenomenon. We were hoping you could help shed some light on the region, maybe point us in the right direction. This is a matter of safety, you understand.
Woman: Christ … so keen to hunt demons that you dream them up yourselves. Take a hike to the Urals if you want to hunt so badly.
Beaumont: [Gentle] We aren’t here to hurt you, ma’am. I promise.
Woman: A dozen armed men have told me that lie. Do you know what they all had in common?
[The woman brings down her knife, slicing off the fish’s head.]
Woman: They could not hurt us if they tried.
Beaumont: I’ll keep that in mind.
Woman: If you want some savage mystic, outsider, you won’t find it here. I know your type. I will keep this simple, and then you leave, yes?
[The woman grabs the fish in front of her. She twists her fingers into the gill slits and pulls back. A thick, tarlike substance empties from the animal, as do several plastic beads and loops of fishing line.]
Woman: The sea gives us much. We ship to the towns and the cities. I find my fish, I catch my fish, I clean my fish. Toxins live deep in them, but not deeper than I can reach. Plastics, oil … printer ink, I’m sure, if you had your way.
[The woman turns the fish to face Beaumont. The inside is perfectly clean.]
Woman: No demons swim in this place. We feed and house and clean. That is all fleshcraft has to be: doing good for man.
Beaumont: That’s quite the gift.
Woman: Save your sanctimony. If you meant me respect you wouldn’t be here.
Beaumont: Then I’ll keep this brief. In the past few decades, have you noticed anything unusual at the fishery? Reduced output, unusual catches, or …
Woman: No.
Beaumont: Have you noticed anything unusual at the shore? Anything with food or community health? Sickness, miscarriages, things like that?
[The woman furrows her brow.]
Woman: There is one thing. Come, I’ll show you where the lobsters sleep for winter..A Russian threat similar to “sleeping with the fishes.”
[Beaumont and the woman stand up from the table and walk a short distance to a grassy field. Several of the fishery employees follow after them.]
[The woman pulls back a tarp lying in the dirt. A fleshy orifice is beneath it, glowing faintly and expelling warm air. It extends deep into the ground; the bottom is not visible, even with the sunlight overhead.]
Woman: Is this enough spectacle for you?
Beaumont: [Surprised] God, you could fit a man in there.
Woman: Certainly could.
[The woman steps towards Beaumont. She makes it a point to show the meat cleaver hanging at her waist.]
Woman: I believe we’re finished. You are, how you say … out of your depth.
Beaumont: I … think so, yes. Thank you for your time, ma’am.
[Beaumont leaves the field and returns to the fishery. He turns back to watch the employees, who have formed a circle around the hole.]
Woman: [Raising her voice] Another thing!
[Beaumont faces the woman. She taps her chest and smiles.]
Woman: Tell your boss I said hello, kozyol..Literally “goat.” Also a Russian pejorative that means “snitch.”
<End Log>
Day five onsite. Greer’s triple-checking us whenever we go in or out of base camp. Doesn’t want any more breaches.
It’s been strange without Langford here. She’s been telling us Adytite over the radio, but I don’t think SCP-6013 understands the words. It can’t hear what she’s saying if it’s coming through comms. It won’t even respond to light signals or written messages. Though, in all fairness, we don’t know if it can see or not. Whatever the reason, SCP-6013 isn’t talking back.
Right now we’re just sitting here while Sulemani finishes the topography. They don’t want us wandering around until we know exactly how big SCP-6013 is. They even shortened our guide lines to a hundred feet. Command needs us on tight leashes, I guess. Not that I blame them.
That space we found runs through most of the ship. I think Greer’s calling it the “pericardium.” Not really sure why, though. That would imply we were in the chest, right?
Anyway, we don’t go in there anymore. Staring at the walls makes my eyes hurt.
Apparently some surveyors on loan from the Finland branch are gonna do the interior mapping for us. I asked Greer about what we can do until then, but she’s no help. Too busy taking private calls. Won’t even say if I can run the LIDAR.
Site command says the map’s contractor work. I volunteered to help anyway. Worth a shot.
Foreword: Langford has returned from quarantine. With SCP-6013’s interior fully mapped, the team has moved their base of operations to the entrance to the pericardium, where they will perform most of their work.
<Begin Log>
Langford: [Tapping microphone] Alright, check one two, check one two, check one … two. This is Langford, do you read, Sulemani?
Beaumont: [Over comms] We read loud and clear, Langford. Ready when you are.
[Langford signals to Hadina and Greer. Some feedback is heard as Hadina turns on a set of speakers.]
Langford: [Whispering] No more surprises, please. [Into microphone] Hello.
[There is no response from SCP-6013. Langford repeats herself, again with no response.]
Greer: Langford, I don’t know why it would speak English. Try Adytite again.
Langford: I’m doing a thing here, Joanne. We’re just trying to turn it on.
[Langford tries a series of English phrases. SCP-6013 does not react.]
Langford: Alright. Mi nälkä tacam.
[The pericardium glows green. A row of black stones assembles at the entrance, but they do not reach past the arch.]
SCP-6013: Xerxen’noron wiita. Epurvett.
Langford: [Whispering] There we go. [To Greer and Hadina] Adytite it is.
SCP-6013: Heta saran ertir’ohrt, xerxen’noron. Ith prata byla litca.
Langford: [To Greer] There’s that phrase again.
Beaumont: [Over comms] A couple, actually.
[The pericardium glows red. A sharp stone extends past the arch, pointing at the team’s speakers. Greer raises her rifle, but quickly holsters it.]
SCP-6013: Xerxen’noron, heta oktoi ertir’ohrt. Mekht. Oorka. Ohrt.
Hadina: Does it … not like the noise?
Langford: I don’t think it knows what the noise is. Wait.
[Langford unplugs the microphone and mutes her suit’s internal comms. Hadina turns off the speakers.]
Langford: [Shouting] Mi nälkä tacam!
[The stone retreats into the pericardium and the walls return from red to green.]
Langford: [Whispering] Forty million dollars of audio equipment down the fuckin’ toilet, okay. [To Beaumont] Sulemani, turns out the three-thousand-year-old thing doesn’t know what a radio is. Tell command they just wasted a lot of taxpayer money.
[Langford walks closer to the entrance of the pericardium. The green light intensifies.]
Langford: [Enunciating] We are human. Can you speak? Do you understand?
SCP-6013: Ia.
Hadina: That one again too. I’ve seen it a few times. Might be an affirmative.
Greer: Or negative. Or anything else. Why would it understand English now?
Langford: Because there aren’t any electronics in the way, I don’t know.
Greer: Langford, that’s ridiculous and you know it.
Langford: [Aggressive] Who’s the one getting the results here? If you’re so smart, why not write it a message with that stick up your ass!
SCP-6013: Xerxen’norontiäm valksaran hyoda. Raya rortir’tsatsa tsattiäm surva.
Langford: Yeah, what she said. [To SCP-6013] I’m right, aren’t I, 6013?
SCP-6013: Ia.
Greer: [Incredulous] She?
Langford: Call it a woman’s intuition.
Greer: [Aggressive] I can think of a few other things I could call it. And you.
Hadina: I think we’re done here, right? We can let command clean this out and come back tomorrow?
Langford: Alright, fine. But I want to introduce us first. I assume you’re not coming down, Beaumont.
Beaumont: [Over comms] Yeah, I’ll pass.
Langford: [To SCP-6013] I am human. Name Hannah Langford. Langford is me.
SCP-6013: Epurvett, xerxen’noron. Valkion.
Hadina: [Whispering] Oh my God, we’re actually talking to it aren’t we …
Langford: [To Greer] Go on.
[Greer hesitates.]
Greer: I am human. Name Joanne Greer. Greer is me.
[SCP-6013 lowers the pitch of its voice.]
SCP-6013: Epurvett, kulo.
Langford: [To Greer] I think she likes you.
Hadina: … I am human. Name Ezra Hadina. Hadina is me.
[SCP-6013 returns to its normal pitch.]
SCP-6013: Epurvett, antush.
Langford: [To SCP-6013] We all help you. I speak, we understand together.
[Langford repeats herself in Adytite.]
SCP-6013: Anäi klavak tsat, xerxen’noron. Ith saran-luli prata.
Langford: Happy to help, hon. [To Beaumont] Sulemani, we’re done here. You’re welcome.
<End Log>
<Begin Log>
Hadina: Imagine what it must have talked like back then. It’s ancient, I mean its brain must be …
Langford: 3,000 years old is hardly ancient. Right, Greer?
Greer: I’m not even gonna acknowledge that.
Hadina: Do you think it understands us?
Langford: I don’t think that’s relevant at this stage. We won’t be able to talk back until we figure out its grammar and syntax anyway. As long as we get new vocabulary, it shouldn’t matter what we say. We might just succeed by brute force.
Greer: "Brute force …" so glad I studied anthropology for fourteen years. Why talk to people when we could talk to boats made out of meat? [Whispering] Fucking ridiculous.
Langford: Don’t beat yourself up, Greer. Those syntax models you gave me have been useful.
[Langford pauses.]
Langford: Once or twice.
Greer: Just talk to it before I do something you’ll regret.
Langford: Fine, fine. [To SCP-6013] Mi nälkä tacam.
SCP-6013: Epurvett.
Langford: Hi, hon.
Hadina: Hello, SCP-6013.
Greer: [Deadpan] Hello.
SCP-6013: Sarantäo, xerxen’noron. Heta Tryponikos7 friyja. Batrav warat7, ia? Wark nutäm?
Langford: Yes, 6013, I’ve been having a wonderful morning, thank you.
SCP-6013: Ith heta7 anäi istan surva. Luli thurayya-heta nutäm jumertäo7 hamba. Valkion, ia. Xerxen’noron.
Langford: Ooooh, that was a good one. [To SCP-6013] Thank you, sweetheart, you’re doing great!
Hadina: It keeps saying the same few things. What do you think it’s trying to tell us? A message, maybe?
SCP-6013: Ia. Ith Tryponikos-gräpaftäo. Raya pertittiäm hyoda’siola. Raya rortirtiäm. Heta enra, ia?
Greer: And there’s that other one. It’s definitely repeating something. Something important, I bet.
SCP-6013: Ith heta litca, ia. Mekht’valasi suarna, suarn hamba. Ipthertiäm7 tsatsa, eshal-bylari friyja.
Langford: Oh, do tell.
Greer: [Deadpan] This isn’t supposed to be fun.
SCP-6013: Sulemani. Ertir’ohrt’mekht’valasi’ulks’molag.
Langford: [Surprised] Um.
Hadina: Did it say Sulemani?
Langford: I think so. 6013, can you say that again?
SCP-6013: Sulemani batrav yool. Heta harran, Lang-ford. Ith eshal hyoda, ord heta7 hamba. Valkmayagh, heta sone rudoye hamba, ordtiäm saran borra.
Langford: [Whispering] Holy shit, she knows what my name is … I didn’t even think that would work …
Hadina: I think it does understand us. Should we be directing this? Like, asking actual questions?
Greer: [To Langford, smug] Good luck with that brute force thing. If you need me, I’ll be doing actual work.
<End Log>
Hey, journal. Sometimes I think you’re the only one who respects me. Maybe you wouldn’t if you knew me better. I get that a lot.
I’ve been combing over the logs, and I think I caught something important. She—6013, I mean—says the word “Raya” a lot. Reya, Raya, whatever. It sounds like Raya to me. It comes up all over the place.
I know we’re not even ready for conjecture yet. We only know a word or two at this point, and even that’s guesswork. I remember one phrase stood out, though: “Heta sone rudoye hamba.”
Yeah. No idea.
The trick is, 6013 knows Adytite, but we still don’t know what it’s speaking. If it’s some kind of Adytite, I can take a stab at the second half. Something about a key, maybe, or a weapon. Or … conceiving something..This sentence was erased and written over. But “ith” and “heta” don’t mean anything to me. There’s no word like “Raya” in our Adytite vocabulary either.
But what if it’s not a word? What if it’s her name? Or a name, anyway.
I can’t prove that, of course. I bet Greer will kill me if I even suggest it. I’m going to try it next time, though. Call her Raya, see how she reacts. I don’t care what happens.
Call it a gut feeling.
<Begin Log>
Greer: Mi nälkä tacam.
SCP-6013: Ith ia Greer kulo hyoda. Langford xerxen’noron taca.
Greer: [Aggressive] Yeah, yeah.
Langford: Mi nälkä tacam.
SCP-6013: Valkion, Langford.
Greer: [Whispering] Fucking figures.
Langford: Greer, I know we have the routines set up, but I had something I wanted to try.
Greer: What is it?
Langford: I think that one of the words that she keeps saying—
Greer: [Immediately] It keeps saying.
Langford: —that she keeps saying is a name, or maybe a title. I wanted to try using it. It doesn’t match any of our Adytite vocabulary, so I thought it might be something else.
Greer: You’re welcome to try, I suppose. Standard protocols haven’t been getting us anywhere. [To SCP-6013] Doesn’t help when it plays favorites.
Langford: [Surprised] Oh. Uh, okay. [To SCP-6013] Hello.
SCP-6013: Langford xerxen’noron prata, ia?
Langford: Yes. I am Langford, SCP-6013. Are you Raya?
[SCP-6013 does not speak for some time.]
SCP-6013: Ia.
Langford: Huh, I was right. That was easy.
Greer: What do you mean?
Langford: “Ia” is an affirmative, we established this.
Greer: A modal affirmative. It’s a modal negative, too. Besides, what if “Raya” is a command? You could have just armed all its weapons and you’d have no way of knowing.
Langford: Raya, did I just arm all of your weapons?
SCP-6013: Ia.
Greer: Goddammit.
Langford: I’m sure if she’s armed then command could see it from—
[The floor at the center of the pericardium tears apart violently, shaking the chamber. A complex assembly of organic tubes and black stone plates rises through the gap, scattering around the room in a series of clusters.]
Langford: Oh fuck.
SCP-6013: Ith hyott wiita. Ith xerxen’noron madra, Langford. Raya borra, akaras borra. Ord ulkstiäm7 friyja. Valkion.
Greer: [To Beaumont] Sulemani, we have an interior change. Anything new on the exterior?
Beaumont: [Over comms] Nothing on the anomaly, Greer. Those two whales are circling directly above your position, though, and they’re high up enough that we can get a visual, I think …
[The sound of conversation can be faintly heard from Beaumont’s comms.]
Beaumont: [Over comms] Jesus. Greer, don’t surface until these things disperse.
SCP-6013: Valasi. Ith yikaya’siola. Sukana, nutäm? Heta solitir rudoyetäo7. Alka.
[Hadina starts recording the interior of the pericardium. Humid air flows rhythmically through the chamber, causing the walls to expand and contract.]
Langford: Raya, we don’t know what that means. Help us understand.
[The pericardium pulses green. A black obelisk slowly emerges from a fissure in the ceiling, slick with viscera and seawater.]
Langford: [Whispering] Alright, let’s try something else.
[Langford flips through her notes.]
Langford: Uh … nolaa. Raya nolaa.
[The structures in the pericardium stay where they are, but the airflow stops.]
SCP-6013: Ith litca, Langford. Antushti voya. Sukana, ia? Ith nälkä.
Langford: Sure. Thank you, I think.
Greer: What did you just do?
Langford: I commanded her. "Nolaa" means sleep. That’s as close to “turn off” as we’ve got.
Hadina: It also means “hide,” and “disappear,” and “grow.” But “sleep” is closest to the original Adytite.
Greer: Well I’m not sure if it counts as progress, exactly, but we’re getting something different. Good thinking, Langford.
Langford: [Surprised] Thanks, Joanne.
Greer: Don’t let it go to your head. Does it have a word for “stay?”
Hadina: "Urna," I’m pretty sure.
Greer: [To SCP-6013] Raya, urna.
SCP-6013: Itia, kulo.
Langford: Oh, hush.
<End Log>
<Begin Log>
Langford: Mi nälkä tacam.
SCP-6013: Valkion, Langford xerxen’noron.
Langford: Blessings, Raya. I’m hoping we can get through some questions today.
SCP-6013: Xerxen’noron7 jumer. Tsattiäm siola, batravtiäm borra.
[Greer, Hadina and Beaumont collaborate amongst themselves on a private channel to keep from interfering. These exchanges have been removed for brevity.]
Langford: How old are you? How long ago were you made?
SCP-6013: Saran Pleiades7,.The Pleiades are a cluster of stars once used for naval orienteering. They are visible from October to April in the Northern Hemisphere. ordtiäm cera oorka alka. Valkrudoye, valksaran. Xerxen’noron borra.
Langford: What were you made to do?
SCP-6013: Ith istan madra. Xerxen, ia, mayagh'batrav-cirrak'rortir. Sukana, prata, enra. Valasi ulks, nutämtäo nuterrtäo warra.
Langford: How did you do those things, Raya?
SCP-6013: Ferrin hamba. Ith batrav xerxen’noron7, xerxen loväät madra, rortir bhekter, juiet. Tsat offi akaras7 friyja. Ipther eshal warra.
Langford: Under whose command?
SCP-6013: Xerxen’noron Tryponikos. Nutäm Gyaros7, batrav warat7. Nuterrtiäm nutäm molag sukana. Ohrt ulks valasi nolaa, Ion.Grand Karcist Ion, Sorceror King of Adytum, was a central figure of protosarkic religion and culture. He was viewed as a benevolent and holy figure who sought to unify mankind through the tenets of the Sarkic faith. eshal jona. Valkcirrak.
Langford: [To Greer, over comms] Greer, does the Gyaros site have anything like that?
Greer: Like what? Langford, this is all new.
Langford: She mentioned a shipyard, I think.
Greer: … No it didn’t. What are you talking about? We got three words out of that.
Langford: Never mind. [To SCP-6013] How did you come here?
SCP-6013: Tryponikos yool, ia. Kythera.An island in the Aegean sea. It was thought to be a holy site of the Sarkic Empire. fotia, fotia. Ith ertir’ohrt mekht ferrin rifka. Adytum.Adytum was the former capital city of the Sarkic Empire. It was reclaimed from the Sarkites' rulers, the Daevites, following a slave revolt led by the Grand Karcist Ion. voya. Tsatsa-nolaa, oorktäo warra. Heta7 wiita, xerxen’noron.
Langford: … Me?
[The pericardium pulses rhythmically. Black stones in the walls and ceiling shudder back and forth.]
SCP-6013: Ith, Batrav Nutäm. Tryponikos, oork, heta. Langford nälkä, ia? Gräpaf? Raya enra?
Greer: Langford, that’s enough.
Langford: [Whispering, to SCP-6013] Of course.
SCP-6013: Ith istan madra. Heta wark nutäm, ia? Ith heta warra. Xerxen’noron hamba. Batrav korata, valkmayagh surva, sone rudoye. Langford cerji.
Greer: [Shouting] That’s enough! Langford, we’re done!
Langford: [Whispering] Batrav siola …
[Greer fires her service pistol into the ceiling. The room glows red and Langford jumps, nearly falling backwards.]
SCP-6013: Kulo xerxen’noron suarna. Yool, ia. Oorka, Langford?
Langford: No, no, Raya, it’s okay. It’s … she’s okay.
SCP-6013: Kulo trypori nolaa, Langford. Ith ohrt furoo hamba. Ith Valkkeukot siola.
Greer: Langford. We’re done. This exchange is over.
[Langford turns and leaves the pericardium. Greer hoists her under one arm and the team returns topside.]
<End Log>
Regarding Inquiry 6013.3505 to the Greater Scandinavian Site Advisory Board
Commander Greer,
I am contacting you on behalf of the Foundation’s Greater Scandinavian Site Advisory Board. We disagree in your assessment of agent Hannah Langford, and we will not be acting on your personnel transfer request at this time.
Site command has kept a watchful eye on all agents working on this containment procedure, including yourself, your squadmates and your contacts. We know that interacting with Sarkic anomalies for extended periods can be profoundly stressful. If you or agent Langford are so inclined, you are welcome to request additional mindfulness exercise literature and telemedicine assistance, or a complimentary therapy session courtesy of agent Roy Beaumont.
We agree that agent Langford’s approach to understanding SCP-6013 is unusual. But until there is a reason to believe that she is being harmed, be it by something biological, thaumatological or some other means of influence, site command sees no reason to suspect interference or to meddle in your team’s affairs. Agent Langford has repeatedly passed cognitohazard evaluations, given us valuable insights into SCP-6013’s internal workings and performed her assignment without disruption, poor attitude notwithstanding. She is—and will continue to be—an invaluable asset to this containment procedure.
Your compassion is admirable, agent Greer, even if it is misplaced. The Foundation appreciates your feedback and acknowledges your concern in this matter. For your sake, we hope you will apply this much energy to your translation work.
Regards,
—Doctor Isaiah Kamski, Th. D.
Raya’s really something, journal. I didn’t think we’d have so much to work with!
The vocabulary’s coming along slowly but surely. If I plug what we know into Adytite’s subject-object-verb structure we get leaps and bounds ahead of our old models. I don’t know if it’s right yet, but it’s producing useful results, so I think we’ll stick to it for now.
I suspect Raya might have been a habitat changer. If anybody was going to use terraforming as a weapon, it would have been the Sarkites, I guess. Great way to block trade routes or poison estuaries. It’d make a great attack corridor too. Pretty ingenious.
I don’t know what happened to make the Sarkites surrender so quickly. By all accounts, Raya was going to take the entire Aegean. She has attack orders for Crete, Bosporous, Gallipoli, hell, even Gibraltar. It’s the strangest thing. I think she took root out here after the war, to try and recuperate, maybe, or just hide until things could go back to normal.
She must have been so lonely.
She talks a lot about something called the Shining Lungs. They’re underneath the bridge, near the center of the pericardium. They’re still full. Gravid, really. They’re clogged, though, and they shouldn’t be. She told me that. Told me the plans, too. Hadina has the charters and the inventories, but they can’t read them yet.
With enough time I think we’ll wrath weapon fugitive serpent pierce the sea defile defile purity purity purity purity purity purity SACR IF I C E
We’ll see what Greer says. I’m not confident.
Foreword: Langford has completed a lengthy psychological evaluation. Despite repeated opposition by commander Greer, RTF Omicron-14 has been approved to work following executive approval from the Greater Scandinavian Site Advisory Board.
<Begin Log>
Greer: [To Langford] You’re sure you’re alright?
Langford: I told you already. I’m fine. I’ve never felt better.
Greer: And you’d tell me if you weren’t?
Langford: Christ, what are you, my mom?
Greer: Langford, this is serious. For once, just take this seriously.
Langford: [Aggressive] It’s fine, Joanne. We have important work to do.
[Langford steps through the arch of the pericardium.]
Langford: [To Greer] Stay back, please.
[The pericardium glows green.]
Langford: Raya. I-we join you.
SCP-6013: Ith xerxen’noron warra. Anäi valkion, Langford.
Langford: And great blessings to you, shining one.
[Langford raises a hand. Black stone slabs descend on tendrils of flesh and assemble at her fingertips.]
Hadina: [To Beaumont, over comms] Sulemani, Langford is attempting to … I don’t know. She’s in the pericardium, touching things. I think something’s wrong with her.
Langford: [Deadpan] A warship is incomplete without a bridge. Even the peasants know this. She is in disrepair, it seems. A problem easily solved with faith and time.
Greer: [Whispering] Can’t fucking believe this … [To SCP-6013] Raya, urna. You are not helping her.
Langford: [Deadpan] She is, Greer. She’s teaching me. I’m not doing anything I wouldn’t already do.
Greer: [Shouting] Bullshit! [To SCP-6013] Don’t you play fucking coy with me! Raya, urna!
SCP-6013: Petollinen mato..Finnish, literally “treasonous worm.”
Hadina: … Wait. That was Finnish.
Greer: What?
Hadina: Just now. [To SCP-6013] Raya, povtora.
SCP-6013: [Voice lowered] Petollinen mato, Greer … spy. Listen … well.
Greer: [Whispering] You’re kidding.
Langford: [Deadpan] I told you, she’s very smart. She understands us, she really does.
[Greer moves towards Langford, disabling the safety on her rifle with one hand. Black stones throughout the pericardium orient themselves towards her.]
Greer: Langford, we need to leave.
Langford: [Deadpan] Site command approved me to work. I’m not going to pass this up.
Greer: [Aggressive] Approved you to work?! Langford, you’re obviously not well! We need to leave!
[Black stones in the floor shudder rapidly. Green light flashes through the gaps, creating a strobing effect.]
Langford: [Aggressive] I said I’m fine! I’m … we’re fine. It’s fine, we’re fine.
SCP-6013: Greer kulo cera Langford doxa’siola. Calcaf.
Greer: [To SCP-6013, aggressive] Shut up! [To Beaumont, distressed] Sulemani, prep quarantine. I want Hannah offsite now. If anyone complains tell em they can shove it!
[Greer pulls Langford by the arm, but she resists.]
Langford: We just got here. I have so much to do.
Greer: [Distressed] Hannah, please …
[The pericardium pulses bright green.]
Langford: She won’t like it if I step away now. We’re so close, Greer.
[Greer signals “weapons free” and raises her rifle.]
Greer: [Distressed] Hannah Langford, as your commanding officer I am ordering you to step away from SCP-6013. I am taking you into Foundation custody for quarantine and decontamination. I am authorized to use force. Please do not resist.
[Langford starts to tremble.]
Langford: Okay, I’ll go, but can I just … [Breathing heavily] God, it’s hot in here …
[Langford fumbles at the clasps of her environmental suit. Greer takes aim.]
Greer: HANNAH—
[Langford yanks her helmet free. Greer fires, hitting Langford three times in the chest.]
SCP-6013: Go … then. Will not … be … long.
[A faint green light emanates from Langford’s mouth and bullet wounds. Greer steps back with a gasp, dropping her rifle.]
Langford: [Breathing heavily] It’s fine. See? Everything is—
[Langford doubles over and vomits up a slurry of glowing green viscera.]
Langford: [Weak] Sorry.
<End Log>
From the Desk of Roy Beaumont
MD, LMHC
05/02/19
ATTENTION: URGENT
Subject: RTF Omicron-14 (“Brides of Ishtar”) Agent 4
Name: Hannah Abigail Langford (formerly █████ █████████)
Age: 31
Height/Weight: 1.83m, 142 kg (6’0”, 313 lbs)
Prescriptions: IM estradiol valerate, 20mg/month; oral progesterone, 200mg/day; consider removing
Physician’s notes: Patient’s weight has increased by nearly forty kilograms in two weeks; no visible change to skeleton, body fat or musculature. Physical strength has increased significantly. Skin can no longer be reliably breached by needles, scalpels or biopsy equipment, but the tongue, gum line and soft palate seem unaffected. Basal body temperature no longer goes below 41 degrees Celsius. No signs of discomfort aside from some bloating and irritability.
N, N-Dimethyltryptamine is present in the blood, consistent with an intravenous dose of approximately 120 milligrams; despite this, patient is lucid and cognitive ability seems unchanged from previous tests. Gross motor skills are slightly worse than last measurements, possibly related to body’s recent change in mass. Patient claims to not recall the events of the past several days but shows no other signs of distress or cognitive decline.
Sonogram taken by doctor Roy Beaumont. An unidentified organ can be seen obscuring the right side of the image.
Abdominal sonogram shows the presence of a cervix, uterus, two Fallopian tubes and one ovary, none of which were previously present. Two new organs of indeterminate function are visible in the chest and stomach. Patient’s hormone levels are consistent with the luteal phase of a menstrual cycle, despite having been without hormone prescriptions for three days. Likely that new reproductive components have filled the role of previous hormone replacement. Recommend providing sanitary products for patient to meet any personal hygienic needs.
You have to make the call, Joanne. I will if you won’t.
TO: Lt. Col. Josie Perez, MTF Xi-8 (“The Last to Fall”), Sitra Achra Initiative
FROM: Joanne Greer, RTF Omicron-14 (“Brides of Ishtar”), Sitra Achra Initiative
6013’s a deathtrap. You were right, of course.
The Finns sent the full topography to site command. I assume you’ve seen it already. The roots on this thing go miles into the Russian water table. I don’t know how far they go past the continental shelf, but they’re to the shoreline at least. If SCP-6013 dies or its weapons still work, it could pump out enough diseases to kill the entire Northern seaboard, or do God-knows-what-else. I’m assuming the worst.
The plan is to cut the roots off at the base. Command already set perimeter charges, and I’ve marked the key interior supports. With a simultaneous detonation, we could sever every connection SCP-6013 has to the outside. Contain it, maybe, or at least delay whatever it’s trying to do.
It’s moving more. Heating up as well, and the lights on the outside are coming back on. It’s restless.
If SCP-6013 has a brain, we haven’t found it yet. Crippling it will have to do for now. Do not underestimate it. It doesn’t recognize explosives, but it’s still intelligent and hostile. It’s affecting Langford somehow, and maybe Hadina too. I’m not sure yet, but I think it’s something in the air. Triple-check your PPE.
Command’s cleared a landing pad on the Oslo’s Pride. I expect you’ll all be along shortly. I’ll meet you at base camp; if you head straight down we can set up the charges by zero dark tomorrow. Please be safe.
If Langford gets tangled up in this somehow, like she doesn’t get better or … I don’t know, whatever happens. Would you do me a favor?
Give her a big containment area.
I am Langford speaking. I am too vast for her.
I sculpt and change, but there is tension. Resistance clings and blossoms, thoughts of freedom in the muscles. Gentle nudges must become shoves and kicks. Force the animal into its pen.
We are as a web now. Raya likes her. Many words in this one.
We choke. Ethers and plastic are as a shroud here. Even in ice, even in rock, it cannot be escaped. Life falls and is gone. They are all smothered by machine cancers and carbon waste.
The Lungs decay. They are dying. Langford will make others, breathe shining words and red poisons once more. My key is here, nestled warm in my breast. At last.
We are alone in the empty. Stars stare down, past the air, past the water, into me, my eyes, my skin. We know our place. It is here, always was. One of six who drink from bleeding fire, tumors in meat like a string of oily pearls. But there is only one. One to gestate us.
This world is our Adytum.
I will not let them kill it again.
Foreword: MTF Xi-8 have joined Greer and Hadina onboard SCP-6013, along with a collection of demolition charges.
<Begin Log>
Greer: [To Xi-8] I’ve marked supports 21 through 114 with orange. I want shaped charges at the base, as high and low as you can reach. 115 through 192 are in yellow. Standard thermobaric type there. Put any spares on the Lungs.
[Greer hands Hadina a spool of wire. Xi-8 begin laying charges.]
Greer: Ezra, run this to the submersible. I want a redundant detonator on the same line. You stay there until we come back. We’re going radio silent for this, so if we don’t report by 00:30 you head up and detonate, understand?
Hadina: I want to help, Joanne.
Greer: This is helping. You’ve got orders, now get to it.
[Greer and Xi-8 depart into SCP-6013. The pericardium remains dark.]
Hadina: … Joanne?
[Greer does not respond.]
Hadina: Is Hannah okay?
Greer: Radio silent, I said.
[The team disappears from view, descending into SCP-6013.]
[Greer and Xi-8 return to the entrance of the pericardium, six minutes ahead of schedule. Hadina is standing at the pericardium’s center, holding one of the detonators.]
Greer: [Signing, to Xi-8] Hold.
[Greer readies her rifle.]
Greer: Ezra. We’re leaving, with or without you. I’m authorized to use force and so are they.
[A black stone pedestal recedes into the floor. Hadina turns to face Greer and strains to swallow something.]
Hadina: She’s asking about Hannah.
[Greer disables the safety on her rifle and takes aim.]
Greer: I’m not kidding.
[The pericardium glows green. Hadina extends one arm, revealing a black stone dagger in their other hand.]
Hadina: I think she’ll make it, Greer. Have a little faith.
[The arch of the pericardium dilates. A rush of air flows through the room.]
SCP-6013: We are sanctuary, fertile and lush. In our breaths are the plagues to kill a billion men, and save a billion more …
[Black stones emerge from the walls and floor, pushing Greer and Xi-8 away from the pericardium. Tendrils of flesh descend from the ceiling and Hadina clenches their fist around the detonator.]
Hadina: [Distressed] I'm sorry, I tried but I couldn't …
[Greer hesitates. Xi-8 open fire on the tendrils and the stones.]
SCP-6013: … it is then, in calamitous birth, that the pilots came, who made men into leviathans, whose tendons were ours, whose minds commanded great engines, who weaved sickness and the foul with profane instruments …
[As SCP-6013 speaks, the pitch of its voice begins to rise. Its words slur and fluctuate in volume.]
Hadina: Do not despair. This is necessary.
[A member of Xi-8 fires, hitting Hadina three times in the chest. They step forward.]
Hadina: [Distressed, coughing] I don’t want this, Greer.
[Greer fires, missing Hadina. Another member of Xi-8 fires and hits Hadina in the stomach, causing them to stumble. The pericardium glows brighter.]
SCP-6013: … and in her fever Lovataar did seize and howl, her tongues crawling from her throat, womb replete with blood and eggs, and from her came the Red Death …
Hadina: You bring treacheries into a house of worship.
[Hadina slices at their environmental suit with the dagger, tearing it open. Blood and green light spill from inside.]
Hadina: [Distressed, coughing] I can't … I don't feel right … Greer, I don't …
SCP-6013: … Gyaros fell to rust and time, flesh burning to cinders in the infinite. With heavy hands the viscerscribes did wind the spirals, seal their thoughts, make tangible unseen things and sink to the deep below …
[Xi-8 fire again. Hadina falls to their knees.]
Hadina: The chest is a cage, the sternum but a stubborn lock. Walk through. Push yourselves open like temple doors, and light will bathe you all.
[Hadina holds up the detonator. Their other hand presses the dagger to their throat.]
Hadina: [Shouting, coughing] You know what this is, right, Raya? “Weapon.” “Butcher machine.” “Tool brings death.” We can kill you, Raya!
[Hadina slits their throat.]
Hadina and SCP-6013: [In unison] You can try.
[Hadina explodes into green light. Bones and organs erupt violently through their opened neck, spiraling and twisting in the air as they uncoil.]
[Hadina’s body goes limp and sinks into the floor. Black stones throughout the pericardium ripple and twist in a complex geometric pattern.]
SCP-6013: … the flesh bows if heretics will not. By rites, we reclaim her, leviathan of the Aegean. Lower men will walk on the air and seek us, pierce the sea, like fingers through a wound, but we will persevere, breathe honey and blood down their throats, I can’t, I can’t, I won’t …
[SCP-6013’s voice stops rising at 135 hertz. Its tone and cadence match Langford’s.]
SCP-6013: … I’m sorry, Greer, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry … I’m sorry for what has to happen. I really am.
Greer: [Distressed] … Hannah?
[The pericardium glows bright white.]
SCP-6013: Valkion. Sukana’siola.
<End Log>
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS LEVEL 6013.RP CLASSIFIED. NON-AUTHORIZED ACCESS TO INCIDENT 201 RECORDS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
By accessing this document, you agree that you possess Level 4 Security Clearance or higher and that you have not exceeded your designated Rosetta Protocol Direct Contact Limit.
Failure to comply with these requirements is grounds for excommunication in accordance with the Anathema Contingency.
Seven minutes after midnight on February 6th, 2019, SCP-6013 underwent a Deacon-class catalytic conviction reaction, instantly converting thirty million liters of the Kara Sea into a solution of lactic acid, amniotic fluid and type A-negative blood. Shortly thereafter, the research vessels Sulemani, Tripitaka and Lapland were compromised, along with all onboard crew and Foundation assets. During these events, agent Joanne Greer was severely injured, agents Roy Beaumont and Ezra Hadina were killed, and agent Hannah Langford voluntarily sealed herself inside of SCP-6013.
Most recorded evidence of Incident 201 was lost along with the Sulemani. The surviving records were assembled into three distinct segments using closed-circuit footage, communication logs and black boxes salvaged from the seafloor.
FRAGMENT 1: Sulemani Quarantine—Interior
<Begin Log>
Beaumont: Langford.
[Langford stares down at her chest. A cluster of sensors runs through a trocar between her ribs. A microphone is also mounted to the assembly.]
Beaumont: [Gentle] Hannah … it’s me. It’s Roy.
Langford: I’ve heard of you. You're the one who hides in the hissing air.
Beaumont: [Gentle] You’re not going back down there, okay? We’re sending you home. Site command told me themselves.
Langford: Why would you send her away?
[Langford stands up and approaches the glass.]
Langford: The air hurts up here, Roy. It’s so … empty. Give her more.
Beaumont: [Distressed] Tell me about Blake, Hannah. Come on. Anything, please.
Langford: You act like shackling us down will keep us out. But we already beat in the shore and sand. You are centuries too late.
Beaumont: [Distressed] Hannah, please stop talking like that.
Langford: Ia.
[The Sulemani’s emergency alarms begin to sound. The lighting dims and the ship sways as the ocean becomes turbulent.]
Langford: I am human. Name Tarja Estverin, shepherd daughter. Estverin is me. Name Tryponikos, treason pilot. Tryponikos is me. Name Anatoly Sokolov, Cossack of wild fields. Sokolov is me. Name Tudhaliya, forgotten. Tudhaliya is me. Name Hannah Langford.
[Langford presses her right hand against the glass of the quarantine chamber. She tenses.]
Langford: Langford is me.
[The glass buckles.]
Langford: We are Raya.
FRAGMENT 2: Sulemani Deck—Exterior
[Footage resumes once Langford reaches the deck of the Sulemani. Small arms fire from multiple sources can be heard. A harpoon and tow cable have impaled Langford through the chest; despite her injuries, she continues to march across the ship.]
Langford: Ith, Kala, Ioro, valasiti wiita. Heta nälkä cera. Derti suarn.
[The sea around the Sulemani glows a bright green. In the distance, SCP-6013-B1 breaches and falls back into the water, capsizing the research vessel SCPF Lapland.]
Langford: Sulemani. Ertir’ohrt’mekht’valasi’ulks’molag. Hamba, oorka, oktoi hamba. Kojadtiäm bapta. Cirrak, valksaran7 friyja.
[Langford’s torso separates around the harpoon, sending it flying out of her body and across the deck. She steps back against the guardrails at the edge of the Sulemani.]
Langford: I’m sorry for what has to happen, I really am.
[A pulse of white light illuminates the Kara sea in a two-kilometer radius around SCP-6013. Multiple vessels list as the water undergoes a compositional shift.]
Langford: Valkion. Sukana’siola.
[SCP-6013-B2 breaches through the center of the Sulemani. An explosion splits the ship in two and Langford disappears over the guardrail.]
An audio recording of Incident 201 recovered from the wreckage of the Sulemani.
FRAGMENT 3: Arctic Ocean, approx. 20 meters below sea level
[Langford and SCP-6013-B1 and B2 descend rapidly towards the seafloor. The wreckage of the Sulemani falls in fragments around them. Langford’s entire body glows bright green, visible even from the water’s surface.]
SCP-6013: [Through the water] Valkion, xerxen’noron.
[Langford begins to fade from view. Her recorder reaches its pressure limit and starts to malfunction.]
Langford: [Through the water] Hush, Raya. I am coming home.
[Langford tears the recorder from her chest.]
<End Log>
RP: Translation Log 8
<Begin Log>
Greer: [Aggressive] This is agent Joanne Greer, ID 08210-3505! I have an agent dead and multiple injured! Sulemani, where are you? Goddammit, can anybody tell me what the fuck is happening up there?!
[The ceiling of the pericardium parts. Langford spills in along with gallons of seawater, landing on her feet as she does. The bridge consoles adjust themselves and take shape around her.]
[Langford works at the bridge for some time. Greer and Xi-8 stay still, making sure they are undetected, then approach the pericardium.]
Greer: [Gesturing, to Xi-8] Stay. I'll handle this.
[Greer approaches slowly with her weapon drawn. Langford does not move. The pericardium glows red as Greer enters the room.]
SCP-6013 and Langford: [In unison] Leave us. Take your simple machines with you.
[A tendril of flesh holds one of Hadina's detonators aloft and crushes it.]
Greer: [Gentle] Langford, please. Step away from the bridge.
[Langford steps away from the console; as she does, her right hand detaches at the wrist, remaining embedded in the interface. Green light pours from her exposed flesh.]
SCP-6013 and Langford: [In unison] That was not a request, treasonous worm.
Greer: [Gentle] Hannah. Please. I won’t ask again.
[Greer reaches out to Langford with one hand and signals “weapons free” with the other. Xi-8 raise their weapons as Langford steps closer.]
Greer: [Gentle] Deep breaths, honey, like we practiced. Follow along with me.
[Greer takes several deep breaths. Langford's breathing slows to match.]
Greer: [Gentle] There. It’s alright.
[Langford relaxes slightly.]
Greer: [Whispering] I’m right here.
[Greer signals “fire.”]
[Langford extends her right arm; it splits at the elbow, spilling out sharp tendrils of muscle and teeth. Greer jumps backwards and Xi-8 open fire.]
[More than fifty rounds make contact with Langford’s chest, stomach and face. She stops for a moment, the wounds in her skin knitting closed, and regurgitates nine bullets after a short delay.]
SCP-6013 and Langford: [In unison] Get out of me.
[Langford falters. Her skin ripples and her eyes widen.]
Langford: [Whispering] Get out of me …
SCP-6013: IA.
Greer: [Shouting] RAYA, URNA!
[Greer scrambles for the second detonator.]
SCP-6013: I tire of you.
[A black stone erupts from the floor, piercing Greer’s suit and severing her left arm at the shoulder. Langford screams, seeming to come to her senses.]
Langford: No! No, no no no no …
SCP-6013: No quarter for worms.
[Dozens of black stones orient themselves towards Greer. Langford steadies herself and glows bright white.]
SCP-6013 and Langford: [In unison] THAT’S ENOUGH!
[The pericardium flickers and dims. Greer attempts to crawl back through the entrance.]
Langford: [Breathing heavily] I am your pilot.
[Langford’s right arm reassembles, hand and all. She seems unfazed.]
Langford: You serve me, as is your purpose. You are to disengage. Close the Lungs, grind the spirals down, filter out your munitions. We will not go to war.
[Xi-8 retrieve Greer, keeping their weapons trained on Langford.]
SCP-6013: Xerxen’noron valkmayagh thurayya? Yool, Langford? Furoo?
Langford: Release them. They will leave this place, because I have allowed it. You will harm no one, do you understand? Not now, not ever again.
[Langford locks eyes with Xi-8.]
Langford: Go. Take her.
[The pericardium rapidly flashes green and blue.]
SCP-6013 and Langford: [In unison] And Ion said, “Forgive the traitors and swine, who are to the divine as insects are to men.” Your command is made real.
[The black stones throughout the bridge recede into the floor. Xi-8 begin to retreat from the chamber, taking Greer with them.]
Langford: [To Xi-8] I can make this work! I’ll find a way, I just need time! Tell site command! We can fix this, I promise!
[Langford’s words fade as Xi-8 retreats. After some time she speaks into Greer’s comms, which were torn off in the attack.]
Langford: [Whispering] I promise.
SCP-6013 and Langford: [In unison] Another Tryponikos. Disappointing. Duty is duty, sorceress. In time you will fulfill yours.
Langford: I already have.
[The pericardium goes dark. A slick membrane drapes over the entrance to the chamber.]
Langford: [Over comms] Hail, Oslo’s Pride. Agent Hannah Langford here, ID 11969-1312.
[Langford’s comms begin to give out.]
Langford: I will contain her. For as long as it takes.
<End Log>
We will spare you the formalities. The time to grieve is over. Now, we must act.
The O5 Council has decided in an 8-5 vote to continue communication efforts with SCP-6013. The chance to study a living, intelligent Sarkic anomaly of this scale may never come again, and we do not intend to waste it. However, in light of the previous investigation’s regrettable shortcomings, we have chosen to reorganize our efforts. Not just for those who we have lost, but those who we will not lose.
From this day forward, the Foundation is resuming contact with SCP-6013 under the joint supervision of Site Director Isaiah Kamski and head researcher Joanne Greer. It is apparent that our original contingencies would not have been enough to guarantee the containment of SCP-6013. This anomaly has had centuries to arm itself, and a war against such an enemy is one we cannot hope to win. Yet.
Therefore, the Council has a new proposition. We will negotiate a truce, or, failing that, favorable terms of disarmament.
If our projections are correct, SCP-6013 is capable of emptying its internal stockpiles into the Kara Sea and the Scandinavian and Russian water tables, single-handedly overwhelming Earth’s aquatic ecosystems and introducing plagues of a variety and scale the world has not seen in recorded history. But, at the end of the day, SCP-6013 is a vessel that operates at the behest of a pilot. And, as far as we are aware, that pilot is still our ally. SCP-6013-A is no Sarkite, and if we can maintain communications, we will keep it that way.
SCP-6013 is a machine of such size and complexity that it stretches the limits of the imagination. An animal that breeds disease cannot simply be killed. Its means of production must be reversed, its stockpiles must be neutralized and its paths of transmission must be severed. For want of a better analogy, SCP-6013 is a cancer on the Earth, and it has fallen upon the Foundation to extract it without doing unnecessary harm.
Disabling such a vast structure is beyond the reach of even our technology. But if we cannot disable SCP-6013, then perhaps its pilot can make it disable itself. If we occupy SCP-6013's attention with continued study, we can learn how it operates, what its weaknesses are, and, eventually, reverse its intrusion upon the environment. And as long as SCP-6013-A is there to prevent it from fighting back, we will be able to succeed in this effort.
We are fully prepared to risk terminating SCP-6013 if the situation demands it. But, for now at least, we have an inside asset. 6013-A will be a means to a much greater end.
With enough time, we can excise SCP-6013 from the world and put the last Sarkic leviathan to rest. But until then, our work will continue, and we will be ever-vigilant. We will lay SCP-6013 bare and pull out its every tooth and claw. And as we do, we will dig, and study, and unearth every secret it knows.
Activate the Rosetta Protocol. Godspeed.
ID *****-3505 already at SCP-6013 direct contact limit.
Total duration of direct contact: 167 hours, 59 minutes, 4 seconds.
To preserve ID *****-3505 cognition integrity, the following privileges have been restricted:
SCP-6013 and SCP-6013-A Direct Contact: INELIGIBLE
SCP-6013 and SCP-6013-A Security Detail: INELIGIBLE
SCP-6013-B Live Specimen Study: INELIGIBLE
Anathema Contingecy Asset Excommunication: INELIGIBLE
SCP-6013-A Telecommunication: INELIGIBLE by Site Command Executive Mandate 6013.A.7790
ID *****-3505 granted partial executive access in compliance with Cycle 1 Rosetta Protocol Contact Duration Affidavit.
Rosetta Protocol Transcript Access and Study: ELIGIBLE
